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Task #7
Unapologetic Maximalism
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I am so excited for this task, it was one of the reasons why I felt the need to host a 9th season. If there is any week I am expecting stellar quality, it's this one.
I present to you, the most talented artist you've never heard of: Manabu Ikeda!
Manabu Ikeda is an artist from Japan who makes massive pen-on-paper art pieces with an unparalleled level of detail. At first glance, his drawings look like a typical art motif like a tree or a wave. But when your eyes adjust, you come to learn there are clusters of entire hidden worlds living inside every region of every piece. Most of his works take several years to complete, and that isn't surprising.
For your task, you must click this link and choose one of Ikeda's eleven established works. Once you do that, you must pick a region inside your chosen artwork, and design an outfit that commemorates the insane level of detail in that one region.
Ikeda may have other artworks accessible on other websites, but for this task I ask that you stick to the eleven artworks supplied by the link above.
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What counts as a region?
It can be any part of any of his artworks. My only request is that it cannot be bigger than 25% of the total artwork. His pieces are far too detailed to use in their entirety as inspiration, our measly Habbo outfits couldn't do them justice. Once you choose the section you want, make sure you use only that section as inspiration. I don't want to see a colour or a pattern located on the other side of the canvas somehow finding its way onto your outfit.
Your due date for this task is Monday, March 25th at 8:00 EST (1am GMT.)
As always, come to me to clear up any questions or concerns.
Panel #7
My my, what an incredible week yet again. It seems I'm saying that more often than not in Season 9. I don't want to sell my past long-term casts short, they've all had many incredible moments... but here in Season 9, you guys truly are something else. Across the board, you all have been consistently delivering innovative, beautiful, and boundary-pushing outfits that make my job as a host extremely difficult. Giving ranks and subsequently eliminating someone is hard enough, and to essentially punish people who otherwise did a great job is never fun. Regardless of how this panel (and future panels) play out, please award yourselves a round of applause for making it this far in such a stacked game, and for the several moments of brilliance you each have delivered. Sadly an elimination is still necessary because we can't split a prize 8 ways.
Arber (icearbr) is back at panel by popular demand; his critiques are always succinct, professional, and never cease making sense. Today he'll be critiquing through the medium of GIFs and haikus.
Zechariah
(HerbyMainsted)
Gate | 2010
icearbr:
Snawl: This outfit is an intimidating mosaic of retro items. In the hands of anybody else it would be a disaster of epic proportions, but in your hands, it's fantastic. The colour palette is cohesive and is a uniting agent for every individual item which contrasts each other; it's like you purposely picked items that all want to go their separate way, but used the blues & whites as a sort of moderator. Like the crashing waves in the art, this outfit is turbulent. My favourite detail has to be the floral skirt and square textile top meeting in the middle and separating abruptly with no clear dividing line. The heels are really detailed - almost to the point of being hard to conceptualize - and they further lend to this sense of fleeting logic and consistency. Then your use of the ponytail + mutton chops I found to be a brilliant and refreshing take on incorporating hair as a fabric. The only piece of advice I'd offer is that I would like to see a hue that is a shade or two darker than your darkest blue, just to commemorate the deep, darker, almost black water near the bottom of the photo. Either way, you've now amazed me for three weeks in a row. Keep it up, Zechariah!
chan
(chan.)
drifter | 2013
icearbr:
Snawl: There're quite a few positives I have to say about this outfit, but a few areas of criticism as well. For the positives, I love the gown you made. Using that slick, vested, androgynous top is so wild but from a side pose it works oddly well with your chosen gown. You then have a jaw-dropping three piece train contraption with the tiger tail, oversized scarf, and backpack. Weirdness aside, the three items come together surprisingly well and are augmented and kept interesting by your motion pose. For criticism, I feel some of your head accessories are too extra; their inclusion takes away from the beauty of the gown - mainly the eye piece. I'm also not in love with the colours you chose to relegate to the head; there are several scummy, algae-like green hues in the photo that could have looked great if included in various parts of the outfit, but instead the shades you choose are a bit unremarkable, and pushing them strictly to the head makes them stand out in a not-so-great way. It looks like you finished the outfit, but then remembered to add green, and so you threw them up there in a last ditch effort. The rest of the outfit is really beautiful and I hope I don't give the impression that I dislike it, I just have to be extra critical at this stage in the game.
filip
(lidl-wayne)
rebirth | 2013-2016
icearbr:
Snawl: Your entire bodice seems to consist of only three items (that I can tell, anyway) and yet somehow you manage to look just as intricately detailed and meticulously plotted as the subject in the art. Like I mentioned last week, you are an artist in every sense of the word, and it is your admiration for visual mediums that allow you to make such head scratching, yet show-stopping choices in fabrics. I've loved that tutu top since it was released and I think this is my favourite use of it, ever. The vest is something I never would have thought to pair it with, but now that I'm looking at it, it immediately clicks and seems like such a "no doiii!" combination. The motion pose and purple handbag both warp the tutu to give the appearance that it is intentionally asymmetrical. The brown ruffles near the waist are so far off to the right that they look like a separate item altogether. This outfit is greatly impressive in several ways, and is a masterclass in everything from shape composition, to item integration, to pattern clashing. Outstanding work on this one, Filip!
elysse
(lc22)
ark | 2005
icearbr:
Snawl: Grays + white + golds is a palette you've already shown an affinity to several times in my short-terms, and even once in my last long-term season! Despite the derivative palette, this outfit still looks like nothing I've ever seen from you. Focusing on a barren and dreary zone of an otherwise stunning drawing sounds like a terrible idea, and yet here you are making it brilliant. The sewage waterfall being commemorated by your cape & traditional shoulder fabric is so amazing, and the drama from the gray mermaid tail is heightening the outfit's effervescent flowy nature. The retro items on the waist & chest are wholly necessary and do not come across as gimmicky at all. I love your earrings and flower crown hair accessory, however I wish you settled with one over the other because having both is a little too busy and begins to rob attention from the rest of the outfit. Besides that one nit-pick, this outfit is an astounding showcase of a tornado of grays, cohesive fabrics, and dazzling lights - much like your chosen artwork! This is my favourite outfit from you so far, and if you keep designing like this, you'll find yourself sitting in the finale again in no time.
Joey
(jozinga)
drifter | 2013
icearbr:
Snawl: There are some interesting details in this outfit that are subtle, and can go over the head of anyone who doesn't give this piece its due conscientiousness - something I nearly did. Whoops. Anyway, I greatly enjoy the upper body portion of this outfit. The grid-like texture on the overcoat is a great citation of the scrappy metal & pipes near the top of the photo. This allusion is only heightened with the gray straps. The corset was a brilliant choice of item because it has natural lines of a different shade which add texture to the underlayer. I also love the shoes. The pants are appropriate and they certainly coincide with the saggy nature of the coat, however I feel something more interesting could have been done in that region. Anyone who is familiar with my subjective tastes knows I am not usually a "Fill every area!" type judge, however this is a rare case where I think extra detail would have helped lift this outfit off the American Eagle store mannequin and onto a magazine campaign or a runway. My biggest gripe however is the blindfold, and it's not due to its impracticality, but rather the feeling of overbearing fabrics. A chest graphic from the icon/logo section could have allowed you to add that extra muted turquoise without getting too heavy on fabrics.
Mickey
(player)
ice stream | 2009
icearbr:
Snawl: Uhhh, alright. I don't quite know what I'm looking at. I see an outfit and a photo that have nothing in common with each other. If there were deeper, metaphorical, poetic inspirations behind this outfit that you feel aptly link it to the chosen photo, I wish you shared them with me beforehand. Going with what info I do have - which is nothing - I am left to believe you either misunderstood the task completely, or misclicked and sent me the wrong photo. I think the outfit itself is pretty great. I love the colour palette, I feel it is expertly balanced (like all colour palettes made by you), and the splashes of yellow + gray are to die for. The absence of head accessories is also a fantastic creative choice. I suppose you're going to say something about how the outfit is inspired by oceanic waves, and there're waves in your image. Sure, but just barely! Ice Stream is full of waves, but your photo depicts the only portion of the art piece that isn't! From a creative standpoint it just doesn't make sense to me. This outfit would feel much more aligned with the Ikeda pieces Meltdown, Drifter, Foretoken, Territory, and even Existence than with Ice Stream. Ultimately I am just confused, sorry. Your talent is present, but your intentions are unclear.
nicole
(nicrobbo95)
rebirth | 2013 - 2016
icearbr:
Snawl: A very airy, cute, almost whimsical looking outfit from you which is not what I'm used to seeing, but I like it. Your decision to focus on the one branch's colours pays off spectacularly because you've allowed yourself to get a bit messy with the palette. You have these little festivities popping off in different regions, like blossoms just starting to bloom. The green on the wings, the yellow on the heels, the blue gradient on the blouse all come together really nicely, and it's their immediate differences that unite the outfit in a counter-intuitive way. I normally hate flower themed head accessories, but here the use is appropriate. The only piece of this outfit I take issue with is the oversized scarf. It does add a lot of necessary colour & texture, but the scarf itself is an odd choice that I feel betrays the rest of the outfit. Everything else looks like springtime, and then you have a really large accessory yelling "LOL JK" running throughout the entire presentation. It's a little jarring for me, personally. Other than that one item, I think this is your strongest performance in a while. Keep stoking the flames of creativity & determination!
Chris
(doglover)
victim | 2009
icearbr:
Snawl: Incredible. Last week clearly wasn't a fluke because here you are, delivering another masterpiece of texture and cohesive details yet again. The striped pajama bottoms, bohemian belt, and celestial vest are such a brilliant concoction that I've never thought of before, but now that I'm looking at it, it seems so obvious and fluid. I am unsure how you achieved the gold trim on the sides of the lower vest but they add a dazzling homage to the cityscape in the photo. I also really love how you left the geometric top by itself and not chopped up by a necklace or an icon. It makes me think of a cautious road sign which further sells the cityscape atmosphere. It's so rare to have an outfit textured to this degree without an overbearing amount of accessories. The hair + hat are definitely not something I ever would have done personally, but I can't find anything negative to say about them, they work beautifully with everything else as they help round out the presentation. I have no criticisms to offer, you aced this week. Excellent work, Chris!
Conclusion
Week 7 is history. I said this a few weeks ago but it's worth repeating:
we've reached the point of the competition where everyone is so good, eliminations are more contingent on outside factors such as luck, mood, fatigue, and schedule than they are of talent or potential. You're all talented, and these past few weeks demonstrate that crystal clearly.
The winner of this task is the person who dazzled me with otherwise fairly familiar items, and whose intricate details stood toe-to-toe with Manabu Ikeda's incredible artwork. Congratulations Filip (Lidl-Wayne) for your 2nd task win! Rounding out this highly competitive Top 3 are Chris (doglover) & Elysse (LC22) who finished 2nd & 3rd, respectively.
Bottom Three
Joey (Jozinga) - Your outfit has more positives than negatives by far, but in a setting as competitive as this, you simply got shuffled to the bottom of the deck.
Chan (Chan.) - Your gown is beautiful and I enjoyed your approach to this task. Sadly, the execution of your head accessories brought you down.
Mickey (Player) - Despite designing a gorgeous outfit, none of us in the judges' group chat have any idea where it came from, or how it relates to the task.
Before I eliminate anyone, I just want to say that I genuinely enjoyed all three of these outfits. Please understand that my position is not an enviable one, and these decisions are by far & wide the hardest part of hosting these LTs for me.
The person ELIMINATED is . . . . .
(Highlight text to reveal)
Mickey (Player). I am very sorry. Fantastic outfit aside, you didn't really give me what I asked for, and everyone else did. Should I keep you, it could open the floodgates to a rig accusation, so I gotta be fair and save those who understood the task. Up to this point in the competition, you have been absolutely rock solid. Your portfolio has everything from hyperlayering to editorial sportswear to anime inspired couture and everything in-between. Nobody can deny the power you brought to these panels, and the gorgeous art you've contributed to S9. Thank you so, so, so much for giving Snawlterm a 2nd chance after last season. Your bodacious, adventurous, and unpredictable designs will be deeply missed in all future panels. Take care.
To the seven of you who are left, congratulations on surpassing the halfway point of Season 9! Your next task will dictate which of you survive to see this season's international destination. It is uploaded in its entirety, so good luck!